BY GABRIEL CHARBIN
This column is written and edited by the Young Socialists (YS), an international organization of young workers, students, and other youth fighting for socialism. For more information about the YS write to: Young Socialists, 1573 N. Milwaukee, P.O. Box #478, Chicago, Ill. 60622. Tel: (773) 772-551. Compuserve: 105162,605

TORONTO - On September 25 students and teachers at three high schools organized a series of protests against the new Bill 160 introduced by Education Minister John Snobelen.

Bill 160 will extend the time students and teachers spend in class and will expand the use of non-certified instructors in schools. Bill 160 will also reduce paid time for teachers to prepare their classes. Teachers union officials say that Bill 160 will cut 10,000 jobs and save the government CAN$450 million (US$616 million).

Four hundred of the 420 students at Ursula Franklin Academy high school walked out in solidarity with the teachers. They marched to three other high schools in an attempt to get others to come out. At their first stop, Central Commerce high school, several students joined them.

That same day at Oakwood Collegiate, almost the entire school of 1,300 people walked out of class.

Teachers at Harbord Collegiate began picketing in front of that school at noon. Throughout the day, students planned a walkout for 3:00 p.m., 15 minutes before the end of school. The action was intended to show solidarity for the teachers. It was organized so that participants would meet up with teachers after school.

By the end of lunch it seemed as if the whole student body was going to be involved. All of a sudden, as students marched into their classrooms and in the halls, a contingent of teachers demanded everyone to stop and listen. An announcement over the PA system from the student council began to condemn the walk out and told students to "walk out at 3:15 and join your teachers."

Despite the announcement, at 3:00 approximately 50 students walked out of class and met in front of the school. At 3:15, teachers met with the students who had walked out, along with others who were blocked from leaving class by their teachers. Colin Ellis, a student at Harbord Collegiate and a participant in the action said, "The walkout was very motivating and now we have to take it to the next level and go citywide."

Harbord Collegiate students began walking to Queen's Park (parliament) where a demonstration of teachers was organized. Students chanted, "You are our teachers, our only teachers, you make us happy when skies are gray, you'll never know dears, how much we love you, so please don't take our teachers away!" They were greeted by hundreds of others at the park, and by 5 p.m. estimates of the size of the protest grew to 3,000.

Through chants, posters, and placards, it was made clear that teachers were ready to strike if necessary against Bill 160.

Fight-minded youth such as the ones who participated in these walkouts will be a central part of these struggles, and are among those who can be recruited to the Young Socialists.

A member of the Young Socialists in Toronto, Gabriel Charbin is a student at Harbord Collegiate who helped organize the walkout at that school.  
 
 
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